Dr Saverio Brogna

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham

Scientific Background

Research Interests

His group's research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that connect pre-mRNA processing with translation and Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay (NMD). A second interest of the laboratory is understanding the functions of ribosomes and ribosomal proteins within the nucleus.

Scientific Inspiration

Several, Charles Darwin, Fred Sanger, Oswald Avery. Why, because they were brilliant but not primadonnas.

Research Groups

Structural and Molecular Cell Biology

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: I like to have a regular discussion about the project and about the experiments. I like to help students troubleshoot their experimental problems and I am supportive and generally laid back.

Provision of Training

Doing a PhD is learning to be independent. I expect the PhD students after the initial training to be able to be able to figure out independently what is the best method to follow, and also come with their own new ideas for new experiments. However, I also like to regularly engage in discussions about every aspect of the project. The practical training in the lab will be primarily provided by other PhD students, postdocs, and technicians.

Progression Monitoring and Management

The student is expected to be responsible for the progression of the project, but I am always to discuss ideas and troubleshoot experiments. I like to be kept up to date with the progress of the project. We have lab meetings once a week and the student is expected to present approximately once a month to this meeting, either in the form of a progress report or in the form of a discussion about a recent development in the field of recent techniques. I expect the student to engage with others in the lab and outside to communicate what they do - this lab is committed to open science at any stage. The student should wish to contribute to science by publishing or presenting their research at conferences and to the biosciences community. I am committed to helping the student reach the goal they aim for, even if this may differ from my own.

Communication

I am happy to discuss science and the project at any time including outside standard working hours. However, I do not demand that students be available outside of standard working hours. I do expect the student to contribute to the maintenance of the lab together in communication with the rest of the team. Again, I do also expect the student to be willing to discuss lab and science matters, including their project, with other lab members, and to be open and willing to help others. Therefore, as well as communicating with myself, I expect the student to readily communicate also with other lab members the discoveries and failures.

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:

In a group meeting

At least once per week, but always around if wanted.

In year 1 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

In year 2 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

In year 3 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

These meetings will be a mixture of face to face and via video chat or telephone, and I am usually contactable for an instant response (if required) on every working day.

Working Pattern

The timing of work in my lab is completely flexible, and (other than attending pre-arranged meetings), I expect students to manage their own time.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Current Projects (2025-26)

Primary supervisor for:

RNA biology: investigating the role of UPF1 in mRNA Processing and Neurodegenerative Diseases

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

RNA biology: investigating the role of UPF1 in mRNA Processing and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Yun Fan

University of Registration: University of Birmingham

BBSRC Research Themes: Understanding the Rules of Life (Neuroscience and Behaviour, Systems Biology)

Project Outline

Accurate gene expression is fundamental to the survival of all life forms. RNA helicases, a large family of enzymes, are key regulators involved in several stages of this process, including transcription, pre-mRNA processing, and translation. One of these helicases, UPF1, has been extensively studied and is highly conserved across eukaryotes. Traditionally, UPF1 was thought to be primarily involved in the cytoplasm, regulating translation and mediating nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) (1). However, recent findings have broadened our understanding of UPF1's function.

Our recent studies have demonstrated that UPF1 shuttles dynamically between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, playing a much broader role than previously understood. Crucially, UPF1 associates with nascent pre-mRNA transcripts, indicating that it has genome-wide roles in nuclear RNA-based processes, such as Pol II transcription, pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA release from the transcription site, and export to the cytoplasm. These novel insights reshape the current understanding of UPF1’s role in gene expression, suggesting that UPF1 is also involved in regulatory pathways essential for RNA homeostasis and stability across evolutionarily diverse organisms (2, 3).

One particularly exciting area of research concerns UPF1’s role in preventing or modifying neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Preliminary data from our lab have shown that UPF1 depletion leads to the accumulation of RNA aggregates within the nucleus—a hallmark of neurodegeneration. These findings raise the possibility that UPF1 plays a critical role in the cellular response to neurodegenerative stressors, offering a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Objectives

The broad aim of this PhD project is to further our understanding of UPF1's multifaceted role in mRNA production and its potential involvement in mitigating the effects of neurodegenerative disorders. In this project the student will use a multidisciplinary approach to study these questions in amenable model organisms, such as Drosophila or fission yeast, the student can decide whether to work with one or the other (the lab has expertise with both).

References

1) Brogna, S., McLeod, T. and Petric, M. (2016). The Meaning of NMD: Translate or Perish. Trends in Genetics, 32(7), pp.395-407.

2) Singh, A., Choudhury, S., De, S., Zhang, J., Kissane, S., Dwivedi, V., Ramanathan, P., Petric, M., Orsini, L., Hebenstreit, D. and Brogna, S. (2019). The RNA helicase UPF1 associates with mRNAs co-transcriptionally and is required for the release of mRNAs from gene loci. eLife, 8, e41444.

3) De, S et al. Genome-wide chromosomal association of Upf1 is linked to Pol II transcription in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Nucleic Acids Research, Volume 50, Issue 1, 11 350–367.

Co-supervisor on a project with Professor Daniel Gibbs.

Previous Projects (2024-25)

Primary supervisor for:

Understanding the role that RNA helicase UPF1 plays in nuclear processes of gene expression

Co-supervisor on projects with Professor Daniel Gibbs and Dr Yun Fan.

Previous Projects (2023-24)

Primary supervisor for:

Understanding the role that RNA helicase UPF1 plays in nuclear processes of gene expression